Sleepover
by MutantSquirrel
Summary: This is an extension of the scene in Hello, Goodbye season 2 episode 17 where Max and Alec are going over the painful subject of Ben. Max and Alec shipper but their romance is slow to develop.


This is an extension of the scene in Hello, Goodbye season 2 episode 17. It's one of the best ones, especially for Max/Alec shippers. It's sad they didn't write more chemistry between them but Jessica Alba was dating the actor who plays Logan at the time and he might have gotten pissy if they did. Maybe if the series went on and didn't end in those lame books they might have written it in. I'd love any feedback especially about writing the characters.

Blurb: After breaking Alec out of jail Max brings him back to her pad to hideout overnight. OC is still out partying and the conversation has turned to the painful subject of Max calling it off with Logan and then to Ben, Alec's serial killer twin.

"Max, what is it?" Alec asked. Max just stood there resurfacing anguish written into every line of her still body.

"We were in the woods. He was hurt. Manticore was closing in on us. He didn't want to go back there."

"Re-indoctrination," Alec said slowly with a hint of a shiver "or worse."

"I killed him." She paused, two tears falling unchecked down her face. "He asked me to, so I did. And then I ran. I saved myself. And I just left his body there for them to take away."

Alec reached out for her gently and kissed the top of her hair.

"Max, I'm sorry." He whispered leaning his cheek against the top of her head. The tableau held until the coffee began to boil over and Max broke away in a show of briskness acting silent and industrious. Alec watched her and felt his heart aching in the familiar way when he thought about all the things that Manticore had destroyed in his life. Rachel had loomed for a long time as the worst, but at least he had gotten to say goodbye, had gotten closure. He still thought about her but unlike Max he didn't have a clone walking around reminding him each day of his pain.

The coffee when it was ready was bitter. Max didn't offer him any sugar but it suited the mood. They sat by the tiny apartment window watching the rain fall on the grimy city and sipping the slightly gritty brew from chipped cups. When he had finished his he put his cup down on the windowsill and finally broke the silence.

"Max I never said I was sorry for what happened when you broke out of Manticore last year. I knew what Renfro was planning and it was my mission to bust you out to get Logan infected." He bent his head "I'm sorry I fucked your life up." Max sighed "Its okay Alec, you may be a fuck up but Manticore has a lot to answer for on that score, not you." She said a wry, half smile forming on her lips she surprised herself when she reached out and ruffled his hair a little.

"Well that's a weight from my mind." He said slapping his leg and turning back into his nonchalant self. "So where am I sleeping tonight? In original Cindy's bed or … I make a great X5 shaped hot water bottle." He offered with a roguish smile. Max rolled her eyes.

"Puh lease, your X5 shaped ass will be firmly planted on the couch tonight." She said pointing at the tiny two-seater in the corner of the room, "and you're lucky I'm letting you sleep in here at all."

"Oh come on Maxie" he whined. "I can barely fit my lower half on that thing."

"Well you won't be fitting your lower half anywhere near me tonight."

"Hey its not like that, just a little spooning," He went a little corny as he added mock seriously "two people taking comfort in each others arms."

"Don't make me hit you." She said turning to walk into her room. She grabbed a blanket and a pillow from her bed and threw it at him. "Get some sleep Alec." She said and closed the door.

The blanket was a rough woollen blend but warm. Alec pulled the foam squares off the couch and made himself up a bed on the floor, it was neat and military so he ruffled it up a bit. The pillow smelt like Max, a scent that was a little spicy and a little vanillary like her shampoo. He tried not to think about how much he would have liked the human contact of holding her, of holding someone who actually knew who he was, who he didn't have to hide from. Wished he actually could rather than just joking about it. Don't be stupid, Alec, she's not that easy with people in her personal space. And you have a penchant for wanting things you can't have even if it is only from afar.

Putting his arms behind his head and staring up at the warping ceiling he could see perfectly in the pitch blackness he listened to Max quietly get ready for bed and thought about Asha. He'd totally blown her off at crash. Did he want her? Really? He told her he did to begin with but the answer was probably no. He had to admit he only went after her because she was just like him; wanting something she couldn't have. The fact that the peppy blonde was holding a candle for Logan was obvious to everyone but Asha and Logan himself.

In his mind he plotted out the relationships between Logan and Asha and Logan and Max(if they ever got the whole deadly touching thing fixed). Would Logan ever understand what growing up at Manticore had done to Max? Would he understand that she had killed; was bred to be a killer; had memories as bad as any war veteran?

He remembered his first ten years at Manticore. He had been in a separate part of the compound from Max, they had never met but if her experience was anything like his she'd be lucky not to have constant nightmares. He thought about how it had only gotten worse as time went on. At least she hadn't had to go through that. But then she and her squad had been like family. Alec was raised from the start to be an assassin; independent and alone. Would it be better or worse to have to care about your brothers and sisters on top of everything else?

His mind turned to Ben, his identical twin that he had never met. He felt sorry for him and yet strangely angry with him. How could he throw everything away when he had a family that loved him? He closed his eyes too tired and to sick of the depressing cycle of his thoughts. He listened to Max's room with his super hearing; she was already asleep from the sounds of her steady breathing.

"Goodnight Max, sleep tight" he whispered and turned over to go to sleep.

Max wasn't sleeping tight. Alec's predictions of nightmares where coming true. She lay with Ben's head in her lap, reliving her final moments with him in the forest. She realised as she looked down at him her memory of him was beginning to look more and more like Alec, Ben's dreamer eyes where more like Alec's devil may care ones. She fought the rising panic, knowing that Manticore soldiers were close by. She had to do it now or be caught. She held Ben's head softly in her lap brushing aside his golden hair. "Tell me about the Good place" she whispered her tears already flowing. As he began to speak she twisted his head feeling his neck snap and hearing the gut wrenching crack. When she looked down at him again she was horrified to realise she was holding Logan's body not Ben's. She let out a howl of despair now oblivious to her imminent danger. She tried to lift him but she couldn't do it. He was so much heavier than he ought to be. She struggled and thrashed with him tears of frustration and anguish wetting her cheeks, they where still there when she sat up gasping to Alec shaking her shoulder gently. She wiped the tears away quickly, embarrassed she had been caught having a nightmare.

"Easy there." He said his voice the same soothing tone he would use on a frightened animal. This time he didn't even ask;

"Scoot over." he pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed beside her, pulling her into a hug against him, he was only wearing his light pants but his embrace wasn't overtly sexual for once. Her discomfort at his familiarity only lasted a minute then she relaxed into him accepting his comforting embrace, a minute more and sweet dreamless sleep embraced her.

Max woke earlier than Alec, the shark DNA in her meaning she needed only a few hours every now and then to his four or five. The embarrassment that she had suppressed the night before at his embrace returned to her and she slinked silently out of bed leaving behind the warm curve of Alec's body. Max showered, dressed, ate then realised she had to go back into her room to get her Jam Pony Sector Pass I.D. She looked at him sleeping peacefully, hair tussled on the pillow. He had Ben's angelic face as he slept. You'd never dream he was a killer; a child born and bred to be an assassin. She stared at him thinking about how she had been too wrapped up in her own problems to care when he disappeared. Ben's last words flashed back to her.

"And nobody disappears. And you can stay in bed as long as y" she flinched again remembering the sentence being cut off. Alec moved slightly in his sleep, a tiny crinkle of a frown forming between his brows. His hands moved searching the sheet next to him. Max realised he was searching for her body wanting her warmth and felt an odd tingle run through her. He started to rouse and she turned to face her dresser searching for her I.D. and pretending to be unaware of him. He yawned and stretched loudly. She stood terrified he'd say something crass about the night before, still not looking at him.

"Morning," he said voice groggy with sleep. "Got anymore coffee?"

"Sure." She said non-committaly and used the excuse to flee the room.

Alec wasn't totally unaware Max was avoiding him. He scrubbed his eyes a little cursing Manticore for not giving him the genes that made getting up easy. It had been for his own protection so he would blend in better with real human beings and wouldn't blow his cover but it still sucked. He stretched again as he left Max's room and scratched a little. Original Cindy was sitting at the bench chair, legs crossed and looking at him and his bare chest judgementally.

"Put a shirt on boy" OC said throwing his clothes at him and then turned back to Max.

"So this boy got picked up for murder and you busted him out last night."

"Yeah there was a little busting but for once it wasn't Alec's fault this time,"

"Talk about me like I'm not here." Alec said a little indignant as he pulled his jacket on.

Max said nothing more as she poured three cups of coffee and added some milk she must have got as he slept. It tasted better than the night before.

"I'll walk you out." Max said when they where done.

"You better lay low until we get this whole mistaken-identity thing sorted out." She said as they walked out into the grey sunlight.

'Yeah, maybe I'll crash at Joshua's. Think he'll mind?"

"Are you kidding? He'll love it." Max said thinking again on how much she hated leaving Josh all alone.

"Well, thanks for saving my butt, again. Must be hard, huh? Having me around? Some guy with Ben's face, making you think about things you'd rather forget?" He said it with his usual jovialness but Max could tell he was being sincere.

"Yeah. That's probably why I'm such a bitch to you sometimes."

"Maybe." Alec said. He happening to glance up and see Logan staring at them from afar. He didn't know what made him put his arm around Max apart from maybe a touch of sadism towards Logan and the feeling he didn't want to pretend the closeness last night never happened. He lent in conspiratorially and said "or, you know, maybe 'cause I'm such a pain in the ass sometimes." Max smiled and pushed him playfully but gently away.

"Be careful." She said.

Alec smiled_ faint heart never won a fair maiden _he thought.

"Always." He said as he walked away.


End file.
